THE ABSENT

CRIPPLED HEARTS

SOLIDARITY WITH THE FLESH EATING MOSAIC AND OTHER POEMS by Raj Dronamraju

Out Now

THE RETURN OF THE MAGNIFICENT NINNY AND OTHER POEMS by Raj Dronamraju

My first book of poetry available through Amazon and other online booksellers www.rajbooks.com

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

WHAT I TAKE FROM MARX PART ONE

(This is the first of two posts on Karl Marx. The first will talk about the political, the
second about the personal)

I wouldn’t call myself a
Marxist a for two reasons 1.) By nature, I am not an ideological person. I look at each issue that affects life and
come to a view based just on that issue.
Of course, patterns will emerge but I don’t apply said patterns to unrelated
issues (Something a member of a political party or a follower of a
doctrine/ideology would do) 2.) Even though it’s a blanket description of many
competing theories, Marxim itself demands a certain slavish devotion of
doctrine that would contradict my first reason - Like religion in that regard.

However, I do think Karl Marx
got a number of things right and I also think there is a necessity for a healthy
and just society to apply to apply at least a few of his principles to governance. I describe two Marx influenced ideas at the
end of the post.

Marxism correctly identifies
the conflict between the wealthiest members of society who are always looking
to maximize profit and those who work for them
whose wages and benefits are continually under assault as a result of
this. Obviously, a completely profit driven
society that was first world in its legal protections for workers and in its
taxation and infrastructure relationship would eventually relocate its business
to somewhere with less regulation like for example in the third world. This has happened time and time again the
last several decades in America.

If profit is your motive then
it feeds greed, yours and the greed of your shareholders, but how many people are
shareholders of a given company (assuming the company is public)? At this point, providing jobs for your fellow
countrymen takes a backseat for your own selfishness. This is what has been happening and is
happening now in America.

Class as defined by a
dictionary may seem outside the conversation if America is the nation we are
talking about but class = money, pared down just to wealth and not assuming any
superhuman qualities assigned to those who have wealth either inherited or
earned, is very much described in Marxist doctrine . America tends to mythologize those who
seemingly go from rags to riches although many of the stories are often
embellished and/or the wealthy person had a lot of help along the way. Often you dig below the surface and you find
the Horatio Alger storied figure had a wealthy parent(s) like Bill Gates or
Donald Trump for example.

Marxism can correctly be applied
to another key problem with Western capitalism – The misidentification of the individual
standing alone as what makes up society particularly societal change and
history. We are all in this together and
it is the relationship the individual has with the different groups in his life
be they his family, his place of employment or the government that moves life. The individual as great man of history standing
alone and triumphing is a creation of Hollywood – total fiction, American
folklore.

When we think of the Proletariat
we think of factory workers in the industrial revolution of the 1800’s but a
guy working in customer service for a credit card company, an insurance
salesman, an auto mechanic, a debt collector are the Proletariat of today’s
society. The Bourgeoisie of today are
those that own businesses either directly or through shares.

One of the key points of Marxism
which was expounded with even more clarity and broadness of vision by
Theodore Adorno is the Bourgeoisie also own the narrative (since they own
everything else) and promulgate the viewpoint that best helps them so the Proletariat often act against their own
best interests by supporting this. It’s form
of brainwashing - think of modern political advertising.

So two ideas I have that I
would like to see implemented that one could say were based on Marxist
principles.

1.) A wealth cap – No individual
would be worth more than a pre-set amount.
I’m all for freedom but when we are talking about a finite amount of
resources then what you have hoarded is automatically depriving someone
else. There is no need for any one person
to be a billionaire. I would also
eliminate the ability to incorporate oneself as a business.

2.) Partial government ownership
of all businesses – All business big or small would be semi-government
owned. This would be a benefit of entrepreneurs
as they could go to the government with an idea and they would be able to
receive backing. Big business should not
be an adversary to a society and the wellbeing of its citizens. Often its priorities, for once again the
reason of profit cause that business in a whole host of areas such as the environment,
worker rights, etc. to be hostile to the Proletariat. Let government run business in a democratic
society and both will be responsive for what is good the citizenry.